Undershirts for infants



Dec. 29, 1959 P|NDYCK 2,918,677

UNDERSHIRTS FOR INFANTS Filed June 14, 1957 lNvENToR C/mmes P/NDYc/f TTORN EY United States Patent O UNDERSHIRTS FOR INFANTS Charles Pindyck, Mamarcneck, NX., assigner to Knitmode Mills, Inc., Newton, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Application June 14, 1957, Serial No. 665,837

6 Claims. (ci. 2 111) `is to be replaced, or when diapers are to be changed.

Inmany cases, the infant must almost be juggled, as the infant is held with one arm, and the shirt is opened up by the other, while the infant squirms and tosses around, `making it very dangerous as the person tries to hold the squirming body properly. At such times, both hands cannot be free of the infants body for undoing the fastening means of an undershirt. It is an object of the invention to provide a shirt structure, and fastening means therefor, by which it will be possible to hold on to the infant, while the shirt material is gripped and, by a simple pull, the shirt may be opened up, for making it possible to remove the shirt, or to make the infants body accessible.

It is an object of the invention to provide a shirt structurewherein the fastening means comprises snap fasteners which firmly retain the fabric in the closed position, `but the fasteners are secured to the shirt in such manner `that a single swiftly applied pull will open up the garment apsand such swift movement by one hand which pulls sharply against the fabric is produced while the other hand holds both the shirt and the infant.

Undershirts for infants in most cases are made from finely knitted cotton fabric which, by reason of its knitted structure, is stretchable. This stretchability is generally in `one direction. In the case of shirts, that stretchability may be disposed so as to have its greatest effect around `the girth of the wearer. In infants, this is important as the fastest manner in which an infant outgrows such a shirt is in girth. Other garments worn by an infant may be changed in their relationship to adjust to any increase in length. On the other hand, this factor of stretchability introduces a problem in relation to manipulating infant and shirt to open the shirt while keeping control of the body of the infant. While snap fasteners may be anchored in knit fabrics, yet the very stretchability of the fabric permits the anchorage of such fastener elements to become loosened from the fabric, no matter how powerfully the fastener elements may be clamped. Also, the fabric between anchored elements is stretchable. In some cases, fastener elements are anchored in place bythe use of a piece of woven tape superposed upon the knitted fabric, and by anchoring the element through both layers. Such structure has not solved the problem of the great stretchability of the fabric between anchored fastener elements.

It is an object of the invention to provide structure for mounting fastener elements so that a plurality of fastener elements may be associated with a single section of the garment, and yet, between the separated fastener elements, the effect of the stretchability will be eliminated so that a force applied to one fastener element simultaneously will be transmitted to other fastener elements associated with that particular fabric section.

A thin strip of Woven tape, which resists stretching 2,918,677 Patented Dec. 29, 1959 to any substantial degree in a direction parallel to or perpendicular to the length of the strip, is secured to the knit fabric. Before the tape is so secured, snap fastener elements are first secured to the tape only. When the tape is secured to the knit fabric, the knit .fabric guards the skin of the infant against being contacted directly by the metallic faces of the fastener elements. In this manner, the relatively non-stretchable woven tape has a dual role: it protects the skin of the infant from direct contact with the metallic parts of the snap fasteners; at the same time, it defines a relatively non-stretchable section for the body of the garment to assure that forces, applied to the body of the garment, will act directly upon the fastener elements, or upon a portion of the fabric closely adjacent the relatively non-stretchable woven tape, which then will transmit the force substantially simultaneously to each one of the fastener elements associated with the tape. By this construction, the fastener elements are held against relative movement.

Secured in place upon such a shirt body may be tabs for receiving the ends of diapers, to make it possible to pin the diaper ends directly to the shirt body. Such tabs generally are made of relatively non-stretchable tape. At least in one case, a tab is secured directly to the relatively non-stretchable tape upon which the fastener elements are secured. Such tab thus is secured against separation from the knit fabric, and is held in place without other securing means.

Other objects of the invention will be set forth hereinafter, or will be apparent from the description and the drawings, in which is illustrated an embodiment exemplifying the invention.

'l' he invention, however, is not intended to be restricted to any particular construction, or any particular arrangement of parts, or any particular application of any such construction or arrangement of parts, or any specific method of operation or use, or any of the various details thereof, even where specifically shown and described herein, as the same may be modified in various particulars, or may be applied in many varied relations, without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, of which the exemplifying embodiment, herein shown and described, is intended only to be illustrative, and only for the purpose of complying with the requirements of the statutes for disclosure of an operative embodiment, but not to show all the various forms and modifications in which the invention might be embodied.

On the drawings, in which the same reference characters refer to the same parts throughout, and in which is disclosed such a practical construction, i

Fig. l is an elevational view of a garment for an infant, embodying features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but with one of the flaps at the front of the garment opened up, illustrating the fastener-holding tape and tab, as assembled;

Fig. 3 is a detail elevational view, showing the left hand Hap which appears in Fig. 2, as opened up and dis# closing the face of the knit fabric at the inside face of the garment, and illustrating the relationship of the tape and the tab attached thereto;

Fig. 4 is a detail front elevational View, to enlarged scale, of a portion of the tape carrying the fastener elements, and illustrating the tab secured at the opposite face of the fabric;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view, illustrating the manner in which tension upon the fabric adjacent the edges of the tape is resisted at the tape so that positive transmission of force occurs on an attempt to pull across the knit fabric at the position where the tape is secured;

Fig. 6 is a detail cross-sectional view, to enlarged scale, substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a detail cross-sectional view, substantially on lin'e 7-7 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 8 is a detail cross-sectional View, substantially on the line 8 8, of Fig. 2.

O11 Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is shown, to reduced scale, a shirt made for wear by an infant. In the depicted shirt, a number of pieces of knitted fabric are assembled. A main or body piece 12 is cut from knit fabric to provide a back 14 and front aps 16 and 18. Pieces of substantially the same fabric are sewn together with tabs 21 from piece 12 to define short sleeves 22 extending from arrnholes 23 which are defined by this assembly of parts.

Piece 12 is cut from knit fabric so formed that its IWales v24 run vertically (see lines 24, Figs. l and 5). Thus, the greatest stretchability of the fabric is in the direction of arrows 26 (Fig. 5), that is, transversely of wales 24. On edges 28, 30 and 32 of ap 16, neck opening 34 and flap 18, piping 36 may be formed and sewed in place. Such piping may be made from a piece of knitted material or some similar fabric, and even of woven fabric. Also, as shown in Fig. 8, the effect of piping may be produced by folding the edge of the knit fabric itself. Any suitable stitching 38 may be used to secure piping 36 in relation to wales 24 along the edges of the garment.

Along lower edge 40 of piece 12, stitching 42 may be utilized to protect against unravelling, as well as to cooperate properly with the stretchability of the fabric. Thus the fabric is permitted to stretch lengthwise along edge 40.

Such garment must be held closed when it is disposed upon the body of an infant. Different types of fastening devices may be used. In the structure shown, snap fasteners are used. Such snap fasteners are generally xed in place by an operation similar to riveting. Snap fasteners generally are comprised of two parts, a male member 44 (Fig. 6) and a female member 46 (Fig. 7). The male member may have a button 48 which is inserted into passage 5t) of the female member, and is held resiliently in that relationship. Members such as 46 generally are provided with a shell 52 which is used for holding such members in place with relation to the fabric. The shank of shell 52 is inserted through an opening provided in the fabric. That opening may be preformed, or it may be formed by the fastening operation, that is, shell 52 may be forced through the fabric itself to produce that opening. The shell, thus projected through the opening, is then spun over or otherwise riveted into place by suitable apparatus provided for that purpose. The deformed shell then becomes a clamping device, to hold the fastener element (Figs. 6 and 7) against separation from the fabric.

When a fabric is stretchable, as is the knit fabric of piece 12, and elements are attempted to be clamped in place in this fashion, the stretchability of the fabric permits the elements to work loose. In many cases, an additional layer of a woven fabric is interposed to back up the riveted-over shell, in order to keep the knit fabric from creeping out of its clamped relationship. For instance, a tab 56 (Fig. 2) of relatively inelastic tape may be folded over, and the male member 57 of a snap fastener may be riveted in place through the tab only. The stretchability of the knit fabric is not affected. A similar shell structure, and the method of locating it with relation to the fabric, may be provided and utilized in kconnection with members such as 44. Member 57 is completely surrounded by the inelastic tape, and is 'secured to the knit fabric only at edge 28 where piping 36 is secured.

Carried upon flap 18 is another tab 58 to which the lends of a diaper may be pinned. Tab 58 may have a free end 6i). Its other end 61 (Fig. 7) may be held in place on flap 18 by stitching 62, as Well as by rivet- 'ing ya female member 63 through tab 58 and the fabric of flap 18. This member 63 is to be engaged with male member 57 on tab 56.

The garment must be closed further than that effected by the engagement of members 57 and 63. A pair of female members 64 and 6&5 are secured to flap 18 at its edge 32 in substantially the same manner as male member S7 was secured at edge 28. Fabric tabs 66 and 67 are secured in position by stitching at edge 32, and by anchoring female members 64 and 65 through the tabs and the knit fabric. The positioning of tabs 66, 5S, 66 and 67 is such that no metal part will come into contact with the body of the baby when the 'garment is closed about the body. Tab 56 has its male member 57 secured thereto so that member 57 does not pass through piece 12. Even though members 63, 64 and 65 may pass through the knit fabric at tabs 58, 66 and 67, still those portions are never closed directly against the body of the infant.

To secure the male members which cooperate with members 64 and 65, a piece 68 of woven tape is utilized. A plurality of male members are secured in position upon that tape. The number is determined by the number and positioning of members 64 and 65 on their tabs 66 and 67. Piece 68 is of woven material. Its threads, therefore, have a xed relationship to each other, being either parallel or perpendicular to each other. In the structure shown, the warp threads 69 extend lengthwise of piece 68, while the weft threads 70 extend perpendicular to the edges of piece 68. Piece 68 thus may not `be stretched substantially both lengthwise or transversely of its length. Male members 71 and 72 are secured to piece 68 only (Fig. 6), and between edges 73 and 74 `of piece 68. In other words, the riveted-over shank 75 engages only the faces of piece 68; the shank does knot extend through any other fabric.

Piece of tape 68 is stitched in place to piece 12 at a position determined by the amount of closure desired, and, of course, by the relative positioning of tabs 56 and 58. Stitching 76 for securing piece 68 to piece 12 is inelastic, relatively non-stretchable. Piece 68 extends down to bottom edge di) where it may be engaged by stitching 42. Stitching 76 is continuous on edges 73 and 74 which extend lengthwise of the piece, as well as along edges 77 and 78 which extend transversely of the piece.

Piece 68 is located so that its warp threads 69 are substantially parallel to wales 24, while weft threads '70 are substantially perpendicular to the wales. Thus, there is set up, as shown in Fig. 5, a positive barrier to the transmission of the stretchability of the fabric of piece 12 across the area where piece 68 is located. Also, the inner, riveted-over shanks 75 of members 71 and 72 are kept out of contact with the skin of the baby by the interposition of piece 12 itself. Since the fastener elements are not attached directly to piece 12, there is no tendency for them to rip out of piece 12.

When members and 65 are secured to members 71 and 72, and if ap 1@ be grasped by one hand, and the other hand grasps edge iti at any position, the interlocked members 64 and '71, and 65 and 72, will almost instantaneously separate on pulling against flap 18. This is effected by reason of the relatively rigid transmission of force along tape piece 68 when edge 40 is grasped. Thus, it is possible to hold the baby with the same hand which holds edge dit, and, with the other hand, to apply a swift pull to flap 18 and quickly separate the closed snap fasteners so that the garment may be further opened for whatever operations may be required.

As shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, another loop 80 may be secured in position to serve, together with tab 58, to retain the pins for hoiding the diapers. Loop 80, preferably of relatively inelastic tape, has no snap fastener element associated therewith. lt may be formed from a piece of tape folded back upon itself. Lines 82 of relatively inelastic stitching are caughtacross the `knit fabric j at a position just to the rear of piece 68. Those lines of Stitching, which also engage through piece 68, anchor loop 80 in place to relatively inelastic member 68, and add their own inelasticity to rigidify the structure of the means for fastening the snap fastener elements on that member.`

Many other changes could be effected in the particular constructions, and in the methods of use and construction, and in specific details thereof, hereinbefore set forth, without substantially departing from the invention intended to be defined herein, the specific description being merely of an embodiment capable of illustrating certain principles of the invention.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

l. A shirt for infants, comprising a piece of knit fabric having arm holes defined therein and sleeve portions formed therewith, the piece being bounded by a pair of side edges and a single substantially continuous bottom edge, the wales of the knit fabric extending substantially parallel to at least the major portions `of one of the side edges, a plurality of elements of snap fasteners secured to the fabric piece in spaced apart relationship to each other and immediately adjacent one of said side edges, a piece of woven tape, a plurality of elements of snap fasteners extending through and secured to only said tape piece, the elements on said tape piece being complementary tosaid elements on the fabric piece, the tape piece being secured at the outer face of the fabric piece at a position spaced from the other side edge to locate the complementary elements for separable engagement with each other, the tape piece being secured to the fabric piece by substantially inelastic stitching running substantially perpendicular to said direction of extensibility of the fabric piece, and a tape piece for anchoring other covering means to the shirt, the anchoring tape piece being disposed at the inner face of the fabric piece, the anchoring tape piece being secured to the fabric by substantially inelastic stitching caught through the complementary element tape piece.

2. `A shirt for infants, comprising a piece of knit fabric having arm holes defined therein and sleeve portions formed therewith, the piece being bounded by a pair of side edges and a single substantially continuous bottom edge, the wales of the knit fabric extending substantially parallel to at least the major portions of one of the side edges, a plurality of elements of snap fasteners secured to the fabric piece in spaced apart relationship to each other and immediately adjacent one of said side edges, a piece of woven tape, a plurality of elements of snap fasteners extending through and secured to only said tape piece, the elements on said tape piece being complementary to said elements on the fabric piece, the tape piece being secured at the outer face of the fabric piece at a position spaced from the other side edge to locate the complementary elements for separable engagement with each other, the tape piece being located so that the lines of its threads are only parallel and perpendicular to the wales of the fabric piece, and a tape piece for anchoring other covering means to the shirt, the anchoring tape piece being disposed at the inner face of the fabric piece, the anchoring tape piece being secured to the fabric by substantially inelastic stitching caught through the complementary element tape piece and extending transversely of the wales.

3. A shirt for infants, comprising a piece of knit fabric having arm holes defined therein and sleeve portions formed therewith, the piece being bounded by a pair of side edges and a single substantially continuous bottom edge, the wales of the knit fabric extending substantially parallel to at least the major portions of one of the side edges, a plurality of elements of snap fasteners secured to the fabric piece in spaced apart relationship to each other and immediately adjacent one of said side edges, a piece of woven tape, a plurality of elements of snap fasteners extending through and secured to only'said tape piece, the elements of said tape piece being complementary to said elements on the fabric piece, the tape piece being secured at the outer face of the fabric piece at a position spaced from the other side edge to locate the complementary elements for separable engagement with each other, the tape piece being secured to the fabric piece by substantially inelastic stitching running substantially parallel to said wales, and a tape piece for anchoring other covering means to the shirt, the anchoring tape piece being disposed at the inner face of the fabric piece, the anchoring tape piece being secured to the fabric by substantially inelastic stitching caught through the complementary element tape piece and extending transversely of the wales.

4. A shirt for infants, comprising a piece of knit fabric capable of having arm holes defined therein and sleeve portions formed therewith, the piece including in its boundaries a pair of side edges and a substantially continuous bottom edge, the side edges and the positions for the arm holes being arranged so that the fabric piece may be disposed with said side edges overlapped, at least one of said side edges extending substantially vertically from said bottom edge to a position where said side edges define a neck opening, the wales of the knit fabric extending substantially parallel to at least the major portions of said one side edge between said bottom edge and said neck opening, a plurality of elements of snap fasteners secured to the fabric piece immediately adjacent and spaced vertically along said major portions, a piece of woven tape secured at the outer face of the fabric piece at a position spaced from the other side edge and extending from said bottom edge substantially parallel to said major portions when said side edges are overlapped, a plurality of elements of snap fasteners secured only to said tape piece, the tape piece elements being complementary to and being spaced along the tape piece at the same respective intervals as the fabric piece elements, the tape piece being secured to the fabric piece by spaced lines of stitching substantially parallel to said wales and with the tape piece elements between such spaced lines of stitching, the lines of the threads of the tape piece being only substantially parallel and substantially perpendicular to said wales.

5. A shirt for infants, comprising a piece. of knit fabric capable of having arm holes defined therein and sleeve portions formed therewith, the piece including in its boundaries a pair of side edges and a substantially continuous bottom edge, the side edges and the positions for the arm holes being arranged so that the fabric piece may be disposed with said side edges overlapped, at least one of said side edges extending substantially vertically from said bottom edge to a position where said side edges define a neck opening, the wales of the knit fabric extending substantially parallel to at least the major portions of said one side edge between said bottom edge and said neck opening, a plurality of elements of snap fasteners secured to the fabric piece immediately adjacent and spaced vertically along said major portions, a piece of woven tape secured at the outer face of the fabric piece at a position spaced from the other side edge and extending from said bottom edge substantially parallel to said major portions when said side edges are overlapped, a plurality of elements of snap fasteners extending through and secured only to said tape piece, the tape piece elements being complementary to and being spaced along the tape piece at the same respective intervals as the fabric piece elements, the tape piece being secured to the fabric piece by spaced lines of stitching substantially parallel to said wales and with the tape piece elements between such spaced lines of stitching, the lines of the threads of the tape piece being only substantially parallel and substantially perpendicular to said wales.

6. A shirt for infants, comprising a piece of knit fabric capable of having arm holes defined therein and sleeve portions formed therewith, the piece including in its 2eme?? 7 .boundaries a pair of side edges and a substantially continuous bottom edge, the side edges and the positions for the arm holes being arranged so that the fabric piece may be disposed with said side edges overlapped, at least one of said side edges extending substantially vertically from said bottom edge to a position where said side edges dene a neck opening, the Wales of the knit fabric extending substantially parallel to at least the major portions of said one side edge between said bottom edge and said neck opening, a plurality of elements of snap fasteners secured to the fabric piece immediately adjacent and spaced vertically along said major portions, a piece .of tape which is relatively inextensible in two direction substantially perpendicular to each other, the tape piece being secured at the outer face of the fabric piece at a position spaced from the other side edge and extending from said bottom edge substantially parallel to said major portions when said side edges are overlapped to produce 8 an area of relative inextensibility in said fabric piece extending substantially vertically from said bottom edge and spaced from said other side edge, a plurality of elements of snap fasteners secured only to said tape piece, the tape piece elements being complementary to and being spaced along the tape piece at the same respective intervals as the fabric piece elements, the tape piece being secured to the fabric piece by spaced lines of stitching substantially parallel to said wales and with the tape 10 piece elements betweensuch spaced lines of stitching.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,489,046 Thompson Apr. 1, 1924 2,511,809 Ryan June 13, 1950 2,643,386 Wyner et al June 30, 1953 

